Milan Design Week 2019

Thu Apr 18 2019

Milan Design Week was born to celebrate creativity in all its forms. It mainly consists of two key events: the Salone del Mobile.Milano and the Fuorisalone. Salone del Mobile made its first appearance in 1961, designed to promote the uniqueness of the Italian design around the world, offering exquisite quality furniture and furnishing. Today it has continued to do so impeccably, ensuring that the definition of 'Italian Design' is equal to high quality and aesthetics of objects and products and their innovation.

Fuorisalone is the set of events and exhibitions distributed in different areas of Milan on the same days when the Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place. It started spontaneously in the early 1980’s thanks to the will of companies working in the furnishing and industrial design sectors. Currently, it is expanding into many related sectors including automotive, technology, telecommunications, art, fashion and food. Today Milan Design Week is one of the most important events in the world of design. LOT-ART had the pleasure to visit some of the events and installations. Here are our favourites:

LOUIS VUITTON OBJETS NOMADES

Since its launch in 2012, the Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades has grown into a collection of 45 limited-edition travel-inspired objects imagined by some of the world's most renowned designers: Barber & Osgerby, Campana Brothers, André Fu, Damien Langlois-Meurinne, Nendo, Gwenaël Nicolas, Raw Edges, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, India Mahdavi e Tokujin Yoshioka and, most recently, Atelier Biagetti and Zanellato/Bortotto. Louis Vuitton has unveiled the latest additions to the Collection at the Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan during Fuorisalone 2019.

^{Left: Bell Lamps by Barber & Osgerby. Right: Mandala Screen by Zanellato/ Bortotto; Bomboca Sofa by Fernando & Humberto Campana; Blossom Stool by Tokujin Yoshioka.}

^{Left: Bulbo by Fernando & Humberto Campana. Right: Cocoon by Fernando & Humberto Campana.}
^{Left: Lounge Chair by Marcel Wanders; Flower Field Cushion by Atelier Oï; Concertina Table by Raw Edge; Bell Lamp by Barber & Osgerby; Spiral Lamps by Atelier Oï. Right: Concertina Chair by Raw Edges; Flower Field Cushion by Atelier Oï; Totem Floral by Damien Langlois-Meurinne.}

MISSONI - HOME SWEET HOME

The Missoni space in via Solferino has been entrusted to the visionary Alessandra Roveda, who, with her love of covering furnishings and objects from the past in colourful woolen threads, has created a fantastic environment within the space. Specifically for this occasion, Alessandra Roveda has conceived a pervasive atmosphere with a magical fairy-tale interior completely enveloped in multicoloured knits. The creation of Alessandra Roveda is an extraordinary example of art and craftsmanship. She refashions crochets into fascinating and enveloping garments of things; a trait-d’union between the past and the future. Alessandra Roveda’s completely-manual artistic process speaks to the Missoni language with its continual articulation of colourful threads and crochet stitches that come together to create a singular pictorial landscape of their own making.

^{HOME SWEET HOME - an environment by Alessandra Roveda for Missoni}

^{HOME SWEET HOME - an environment by Alessandra Roveda for Missoni}

BVLGARI

Bvlgari has displayed two installations exploring the connection between design, science and art to celebrate its second year exhibiting at Milan Design Week.

B.zero1 - XX Anniversary
In the gardens surrounding the Planetarium, Bulgari Installation shows the evolution of B.zero1; to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Bvlgari ring. Gold and blue are used to represent the duality between materials and technique, highlighting how the ring first broke the jewellery rules through Bvlgari's adoption of the Roman Tubogas style, while – at the heart of the exhibit – a set of mirrors infinitely reflect the ring in front of visitors' eyes, offering a truly immersive experience.

^{BVLGARI - B.zero1}

WEAVING the cosmos
Drawing inspiration from the cosmic origins of gold, which came to earth in a meteoric shower four billion years ago, Bulgari has invited the artist Tomás Saraceno to create a dialogue with the Ulrico Hoepli Municipal Planetarium, entangling the earthy dimension with that of the Universe. It is a choreography between sky and earth, created using constellations of complex spider webs, including the golden one woven by the Nephilia Inaurata species, that resemble galaxies floating in the night sky. For over a decade Saraceno has explored the analogy between three-dimensional spider webs and the astronomical concept of a "cosmic web", through a constant exchange with arachnologists and astrophysicists.

^{BVLGARI - WEAVING the cosmos by Tomás Saraceno}HERMÈS

This year HERMÈS has exhibited at La Pelota, in a space designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman. The collections for the home pay tribute to materials in all their forms. Walls have been inspired by traditional dry stone. The space: divided graphically into areas where new objects for the home can be discovered.

^{Left: Tomás Alonso’s ethereal lamp Right: The Halo and Hécate lamps by Barber & Osgerby}
^{Left: Fruit Basket. Right: Picnic Basket, Fruit Basket, Fabrics and Wallpapers.}

INTERNI HUMAN SPACES
“Life is more important than architecture”: this statement that Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) liked to repeat in his conversations lies behind the theme of the exhibition produced by Interni for FuoriSalone 2019. It is a stimulus, on multiple scales and project dimensions, to put human beings and their vital needs back at the center of design. Interni has asked the architects and designers participating in this year’s edition of the event to translate the concept of ‘human space’ into experimental installations, starting with the furnishings that surround us and extending to urban mobility. From the natural environment to macro-system of production, such as the virtuous – and by now necessary – circular economy. In collaboration with partner companies and institutions, over thirty installations have been created for the show, envisioning a future in which nature and the planet are protected, resources are saved and artificial intelligence is applied for the common good, promoting personal wellbeing.

Audi City Lab - Arco della Pace - Caselli Daziari
The conceptual design of an e-station created for Audi by Asymptote Architecture explores new solutions for mobility architecture: an interactive zone for reaching electric cars and at the same time for reaching human beings. New technologies in dialogue with the spaces of the city.

^{Audi City Lab at Arco della Pace; Design by Asymptote Architecture}
Help the Planet, Help the Humans - Università degli Studi di MilanoA project of ethical and media impact created by Maria Cristina Finucci and curated by Alessia Crivelli lights up the central lawn of the Cortile d’Onore. Four gigantic letters of the world HELP: an appeal to mankind to stop the poisoning of the seas.
^{Help the Planet, Help the Humans at Cortile d'Onore - Università degli Studi di Milano; Design by Maria Cristina Finucci}

MOOOI - A LIFE EXTRAORDINARY
For this years’ presentation, Moooi creates a cosmos that fully represents ‘a life extraordinary’. It does so by transforming all the spaces of the Mediateca Santa Teresa in the ultimate brand experience which can be described as luxurious, whimsical and original. Moooi’s presentation has made visitors walk on clouds. Salone del Mobile has been the stage for the worldwide launch of the "BFF Sofa" by Marcel Wanders and a singing chandelier "The Party" by Kranen/Gille.

^{Left: Moooi at Mediateca Santa Teresa Right: "BFF Sofa" by Marcel Wanders; The "Iconic Eyes 161" by Bernhard Dessecker.}